Double Contractor
by TheSixthStar
Summary: Sebastian has something up his sleeve - two contracts, both happening at the same time. When His Lord and His Lady find out about each others' existences, how will they react, and what kind of stories would unfold?
1. The Contracts and the Double Contractor

**-x- Double Contractor -x-**

**Chapter One - Introduction**

**The Contracts and the Double Contractor.**

"_Where… am I?" The girl's golden eyes gazed into the endless space of black._

"_You're in the space between the human world and hell, of course." An unfamiliar voice echoed somewhere in the distance._

"_What am I doing here?" She answered to the darkness, confused and unsure._

"_You died." Two words were straightforwardly put across to her._

"_I died…?" She tried to remember something distant in her mind, but failed to do so, "I… who are you, then?"_

"_My name is Sebastian Michaelis, I am what you humans deem as a devil."_

_Somehow, there was a voice deep in her heart that was whispering to her, telling her what to do. And without thinking, words were uttered, "Then make a contract with me."_

_The devil then revealed himself to her in a hidden form, in which she could only see a human shadow. "Yes, my lady."_

_Then, she felt a tingling sensation on her left eye, followed by nothingness._

* * *

**One Year Later**

**His Lady**

"Sebastian!" The girl wore a bright smile on her face as she took her butler's hand, dragging him along and pointing to an angel-shaped pendant. "Isn't this cute?"

"Yes, my lady. Do you want it?" Sebastian smiled back at her, ruffling her grey locks.

"You know Sebastian, you really could stop messing up my hair like that. I'm not a kid anymore." She frowned at him, but her golden eye was practically glimmering as she continued, "Yes, I want it."

Sebastian nodded and pulled out the money, passing it to the shopkeeper. He had always found it a pity that his lady's other eye had to be covered by the hat she was wearing. It was a beautiful hat, really, made with the finest soft pink and white silk. She wore it slanted to cover the eye which had the mark of a contract with a devil.

"Thank you!" The shopkeeper said as they walked off.

"My lady, you do know that you have violin class in thirty minutes, don't you?"

"Hmm… Don't remember anything about that~" She hummed and skipped away playfully.

Sebastian sighed. His lady was a handful.

* * *

**His Lord**

"Young master, for today's schedule, first you're going to have to attend your literature class at one, followed by your violin class at two thirty. Tea break, then you'll have to prepare for the dinner banquet and show by the designer clothes company 'Kiseki'." Today's schedule was acceptable, it could be considered light and easy compared to his usually hectic one, although Ciel was already used to it, he enjoyed the free time he got once in a while.

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Is that a new company? I've never heard of it before."

"Yes, my lord. It's just opened recently, but news has been going around that the mistress there is a miracle. She's the same age as you are, you know." Sebastian resisted the urge to smirk.

Ciel nodded nonchalantly and changed the subject. "What's for tea break?"

"Chocolate mousse, my lord."

A smile formed on the boy's lips.

* * *

**His Lady**

The girl opened the door and motioned for Sebastian to enter her room.

"Is it okay?" She asked nervously as straightened her clothes.

She was wearing a yellow dress with silver and white layers. It ended just below her knees and floral designs outlined it. The dress was wrapped tightly around her waist, and from there, it flared down freely. Her 3-inch heels were golden, and ribbons secured it to her foot, and ended below her knee. Her hair was tied up in a low side ponytail with diamonds studded on a butterfly clip. Also, a silver ribbon was tied around her left eye to mask her contract. Her whole outfit looked like its purpose was to emphasize her eyes.

"Beautiful. After all, I picked the clothes." Sebastian gave her a reassuring smile.

"Right… So it's just the clothes, huh. I was the one who designed them in the first place." The girl muttered softly while rolling her eyes and exited the room, walking towards the staircase and took a peek. She stifled a gasp. There were so many people here already.

"Nervous, my lady?" She nearly jumped at the feeling of her butler's warm breath on her neck.

"Yes, it's my first major banquet after all."

"Well, it can't be helped. You're a 'miracle' after all."

"You know I hate it when people go overboard and call me that. It's just a stereotype. I'm perfectly normal." She argued, although in her mind thinking _'other than the fact that I made a contract with a devil.'_

"Yes, my lady. Would you like to go down to greet the guests now?" He reached out his hand.

"Okay." She rested her hand on his shoulder and they walked down the steps.

Sebastian swore he could hear her chanting "please don't let me slip and fall, please don't let me slip and fall", but it might have been his imagination.

When they reached the banquet hall, she glanced at Sebastian, who at that moment looked as if he had seen something that horrified him. "Excuse me, my lady, I'll be back in a short while."

* * *

**His Lord**

As they entered the banquet hall, Ciel took a look around, "This is a pretty large scale banquet for a company that's just been opened, are their clothes really that good?"

"You'll see, young master." Sebastian smiled. Just then, Sebastian looked as if he had seen something that horrified him. "Excuse me, my lord, I'll be back in a short while."

* * *

**His Lord and His Lady**

"Sebastian?" The girl called out and turned around, only to find her butler already long gone. He was always like that, she mused, disappearing within one second only to appear again later, there was no need to worry about him.

Ciel could only sigh, not bothering to even look around for his butler. It happened frequently as it was not much of a big deal.

As both of them were thinking about the same devil, there seemed to be a force called 'fate' that pulled both their strings toward each other.

The girl and the boy clashed, and he reached out a hand to stop her fall.

"Aw." The girl, her head faced down, apologized, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry." Ciel said at the same time as he helped her to steady herself.

She looked up and in that moment when their eyes met, something seemed to spark in between them. His right eye and her left eye were hidden, his hair and her hair were the same, their eyes were distinctly different, and they were captured in each other's orbs.

"Hello, my name is Alysteia."

**-End of Chapter One**

* * *

Hey guys! (:

This fanfiction is actually a remake of my previous Kuroshitsuji one which I deleted, "Forever and Always". This is probably the more refined version and I've got quite a different story plot in mind, so please stay tuned yeah.

I would appreciate reviews, really.

I'm not sure about frequent updates coz it's my exam period now. It mostly depends on the amount of time I have and whether inspiration feels like it's coming to me I guess?

Chapters will probably be longer than this one in the future. :D

Okay, that's all.

Please R&R!

**Yours Sincerely, _'-_**


	2. The Cat's Out of the Bag

**-x- Double Contractor -x-**

**Chapter Two**

**The Cat's Out of the Bag.**

* * *

**His Lord and His Lady**

Ciel found himself unable to speak for a moment – her voice sounded like summer bells, then regained his composure_. Alysteia…_ He thought, _the name sounded familiar but he couldn't remember who she was. Another noble, perhaps?_ "I'm Ciel Phantomhive."

The shock was evident in Alysteia's golden orbs as she curtsied and smiled, "Yoroshiku ne?"

They both turned to face the crowd, and it was only then that they realized everyone was staring at them. Gasps of surprise could be heard as they saw the two 'miracles' together. It was the same thing – both of them were used to it, they were just marveling over their 'talent' and 'beauty'.

Alysteia just kept quiet and sighed. Ciel took a glance at her and cleared his throat loudly, causing the crowd to cease their incessant murmuring, continuing with what they were previously doing, although occasionally peeking.

"Thank you, you saved me there." She said, motioning for him to walk with her while they made their way to the reception.

"I'm looking forward to the show." Ciel started off the conversation easily.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it, Lord Ciel, it's the fruit of many hours and hours of effort." Her eyes seemed to shine as she thought about designing – it was her passion.

"I see. I'll take note of that though, you _are_ known as a 'miracle.'"

"Right back at you." Her voice seemed to have a tinge of indignant, child-like amusement. Then she realized that she was being 'unsophisticated', as quoted from Sebastian, and blushed lightly.

To her surprise, Ciel started laughing. Somehow, Alysteia seemed to remind him of how he was previously, and the times that Sebastian had told him over and over again that he was so 'unsophisticated'. Alysteia smiled and started to chuckle too, her joyful laugh was dazzling.

"Here's my name card." Ciel said and pulled out a black, elegantly designed card and passed it to Alysteia, "You may call me when you have enquires about being in the business world… or anything else. You may come to my mansion to visit if you wish too. My butler will serve you well."

Alysteia nodded, "Thank you, I'll-"

"Oh, the shining light, the flutter of her small, but mesmerizing wings. The beautiful sound of the bells echoing in the church, signaling a bright new future." A particular blonde interrupted.

Ciel winced at the familiar voice and shot Alysteia a pitying look, which she did not understand. The Viscount Druitt bowed and dramatically grabbed Alysteia's hand, his face expression was as if he had found a priceless treasure.

"Will you accompany me, my hummingbird?"

"What? But.. I-" She wasn't even given a chance to finish her sentence as she was dragged along. She looked at Ciel and mouthed the words "i'll be back". Ciel nodded and continued to mix with the crowd.

* * *

**His Lord**

Ciel grimaced at Alysteia being dragged away like a puppet. Images of the Viscount Druitt and himself acting as the girl floated into his mind, haunting him.

"My Lord." Sebastian suddenly spoke, as if he appeared out of nowhere.

"It's about time you came back," he raised an eyebrow at the demon, "where did you go?"

"It's nothing too important, my lord." He smiled mischievously, "I just had to take care of some business."

Ciel did not probe into the matter any further, for he knew that his butler was simply like that, keeping countless secrets to himself. But he did not mind, as long as the demon fulfilled his job.

* * *

**His Lady**

"Wha- Where are you taking me to?" Alysteia tried to pull out of his grasp.

"Be patient, my little hummingbird." He smiled his revolting smile and traced the shape of her cheek, to her neck.

Alysteia was not getting _impatient_, rather, she was getting angry. "Let go off me, you!" She started to struggle and pushed his hand away.

"Be good, my hummingbird." His grip became tighter.

That's the last string, you bastard. Alysteia thought as she used her free hand to pull the ribbon off. "Come, Sebastian."

"At your orders, my lady." Her butler suddenly appeared in front of them and he smiled politely, although the tone of his voice probably suggested otherwise. "Let go of my lady _now._"

The Viscount Druitt immediately stopped and gulped, letting go of her hand and scampering away.

Alysteia sighed again and straightened her dress, "Now, Sebastian, where were you when I needed you?"

"I'm sorry, my lady, I had some things to take care of." He checked his pocket watch and took the ribbon from her hands, helping her to gently tie it over her eye once again, "Besides, it's about time for your speech."

Alysteia nodded and they walked towards the stage.

*

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming here today to view the first professional show of Kiseki." Alysteia's sweet voice was broadcasted to the crowd, as they immediately went silent and looked up at the stage. "Kiseki was founded last year, on the 24th of December, when I decided to convert my dreams and designs into reality. It started out as a small company, and then it slowly grew until what it is today. Indeed, only a short time has passed. This show will showcase the new designs that will be released next month. I hope you will enjoy it. Now, let the show begin."

The lights in the hall were dimmed, and colourful spotlights were shone onto the stage as the first model walked out briskly. The murmuring started again as the crowd debated on the designs by the girl.

Alysteia was watching as the side of the stage, a satisfied smile worn on her face as she saw approving nods and surprised gasps.

Then, she saw something strange. A particular black-haired, red-eyed butler was standing beside the boy she met earlier.

It struck her that he looked a lot like…

Sebastian.

* * *

**His Lord**

Ciel's eyes widened as he saw Alysteia on the stage. Now he remembered… _of course, she was the boss of Kiseki._ He wanted to hit himself for not realizing it earlier.

"The designs are good, although there is room for improvement." Ciel commented, "Don't you think so, Sebastian?"

Sebastian looked at his lord and smiled, "I beg to differ, my lord. I think Lady Alysteia's designs are extremely intricate and unique."

Ciel looked up at Sebastian. _This was one of the few times that Sebastian had actually disagreed with him._

* * *

**His Lady**

Alysteia couldn't stop thinking about the familiar face in the crowd. The show was over, and people were chatting and dancing. She walked around the banquet hall aimlessly, deep in thought.

"Is something bothering you, my lady?" Sebastian was suddenly at her side again, touching her shoulder lightly, "you seem distracted."

"No, it's nothing." Alysteia said reassuringly, and continued to talk briefly with the people that were so eager to talk to this up and coming designer.

She couldn't find that boy, or that familiar face.

*

"Goodbye, thank you for coming." Alysteia put on her best, business-like smile as she greeted the leaving visitors one by one. She had ordered Sebastian to go make preparations for her bath, so she had to do the job of sending off the one million and one visitors.

When the last visitor was gone, Alysteia heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed on the velvet sofa nearby. "I'm exhausted." She said as she started to walk back to her room.

"My Lord, it's time to go, I think the crowd has already left." Alysteia heard Sebastian's voice from one of her favourite balconies in the banquet hall. _It must be him,_ she thought, _there's no mistake. It's just too similar._

"Yeah." Another voice replied. _That's…_ Lord Ciel, isn't it? _He's still here?_

As the footsteps got louder, Alysteia hid behind a pillar and watched them as they slowly approached.

Then, she confirmed her suspicions.

"Sebastian!"

**-End of Chapter Two**

* * *

Heehee. I'm back! And I hope _you're_ back for more too. (:

I'm done with Chapter Two and it's slightly longer than the previous chapter. I know, it's a cliffy, I like to end it with cliffy heehee. x)

Thanks for reviewing my fanfiction, it motivated me to write some more. So I would love it if you guys would continue to give reviews. Constructive criticism is welcomed too, provided that it's not blatantly flaming.

Okay, look forward to the next update! :D

R&R!

**Yours Sincerely, '-**


	3. Gone With the Wind

****

-x- Double Contractor -x-

**Chapter Three**

**Gone With the Wind.**

* * *

**His Lord and His Lady**

Both Ciel and Alysteia could only stare at their butler's shocked expression.

Alysteia grabbed Sebastian's hand and her golden orbs searched questioningly into the demon's ruby red eyes.

"What's going on, Sebastian?" Ciel spoke the words that their butler dreaded the most.

"Sebastian?" Alysteia voiced again when Sebastian did not reply.

A sharp but gentle blow was dealt to their heads, as both his Lord and his Lady fell limply to the floor.

"I'm sorry." Were the two words uttered, that no one else was there to hear. Before the demon disappeared.

Where and why? – no one knew.

* * *

**His Lord**

Ciel walked into Alysteia's room to check on her. He knew that if Sebastian was here, he would probably tell him off. "My Lord, you do know that it is inappropriate to be in a lady's room without her consent."

But he had to check on her. _Why?_ That question was burning in his mind, but he ignored it.

The Lady was still sleeping soundly, he could see by looking at the eye not covered by the ribbon.

It had troubled him for some time now. _Why did she wear a ribbon over her left eye?_ She was so strikingly like him… their hair colour… but most of all, the fact that each of them had one eye hidden from the rest.

Of course, the thought that she had also made a contract with a demon came to his mind, but he dismissed it immediately. Lady Alysteia looked too innocent to be that kind of person, the kind of person like him, tainted and changed forever. The fact that she knew Sebastian was also strange – unless, she made a contract with this demon. Then it would be different.

Countless questions swarmed around in his mind, and he finally decided that he couldn't resist the temptation anymore. He walked to the bedside, and he slowly, deliberately reached over to the back of her head.

The ribbon fell over her face, as the truth was blatantly put across to Ciel.

Her left eye, once golden but now stained with pink.

It had to be it.

It was a contract.

* * *

**His Lady**

_Where am I?_ The question echoed in her head as her eyes shot open, seeing a unfamiliar, intricately designed ceiling. _Something felt different…_

"What happened to Sebastian, young master?" A high-pitched female voice could be faintly heard.

"I don't know." _That's… Lord Ciel…_

She sat up abruptly and felt the blood rushing up to her head. Slightly dazed, she walked out of the room, to where the voices were coming from.

"Ah, good morning, young mistress, may I get you anything?" A red-haired, clumsy-looking maid bowed lowly and asked.

"A cup of tea… will do. Thank you." She smiled warmly as the maid scurried off.

"I see you're awa-" something seemed to have cut him off, but then he coughed loudly and continued, this time with a light blush on his face, "ke, Lady Alysteia. How are you feeling?"

"Well, after being _hit_ by that _irresponsible_ demo- I mean, butler, on the head, and waking up in a totally unknown place, I'm feeling slightly unwell." She said as she sat down on a velvet armchair opposite the boy.

"Mm." He replied, his head strangely turned away from her.

Was something wrong? She immediately felt conscious. No man – or boy, for that matter, had ever reacted to her this way.

She looked down at herself and immediately wished that a hole would just open up and swallow her.

What on earth was she doing wearing a thin, body-hugging nightgown and leaving the room, in someone else's house, moreover, on impulse?

"Excuse me." She quickly stood up and ran back towards her room, blushing twenty shades of red.

* * *

**His Lord**

Ciel couldn't help it anymore. Seeing Lady Alysteia, usually composed and elegant, becoming flustered and embarrassed was amusing. He broke out into soft chuckles once he made sure that she was not in hearing range anymore.

"Is something the matter, young master? I haven't seen you laugh in awhile." He did not notice that Maylene was back with two cups of tea.

"No, it's nothing. Leave the tea there, Lady Alysteia will be back in a short while." He said with a smile worn evidently on his face.

"Yes, young master."

* * *

**His Lady**

"I can't believe I just did that!" Alysteia wanted to hit herself as she stared in the mirror.

"I need to change into something nice, wash my face and get another ribbon…" And then was when it struck her. _Where was her ribbon?!_ Her hands instinctively reached up to feel for her ribbon, but nothing was there.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no." _No one else could know about the contract!_

* * *

"My eye, uhh-!" Alysteia frantically tried to make up excuses to explain for her abnormal eye, "It's an eye- eye infection! Yes an eye infection, so you don't have to dwell on it and-"

"It's okay." Ciel replied, surprisingly composed and calm. Then, he did something unexpected. He reached over to the back of his head and untied the eye patch. "I have a contract too."

Alysteia just stared at his pink-stained eye.

"How is it possible?" She finally spoke after finding her voice.

"I do not know. It just depends on when Sebastian wants to come back." Ciel said nonchalantly, "he'll explain everything to us."

Alysteia gave it a thought. Yes, it was certain that Sebastian _would_ be coming back as the contract has not ended yet. If he left for good, it would be breaking the contract rules…

The next sentence Ciel spoke broke her train of thought. "For the time being, why don't you stay here?"

Alysteia almost _almost_ spat out the expensive and exquisite tea she was drinking. "Excuse me?"

"I was just thinking if our companies could work together in the future. Moreover, there's no one in your mansion anymore since Sebastian left, is there? I heard you refused to hire servants." Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"You _heard?_"

"I asked Sebastian to do a background check, of course."

"Yes, I thought so. That demon has miraculous ways of gathering information…"

"Agreed."

"I'll graciously accept your offer then. How do you think we're going to survive without Sebastian, Lord Ciel?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

Both of them sighed. This was going to be a long few months… or years even, without Sebastian.

**-End of Chapter Three**

* * *

Okay, how was it? Heehee.

Ciel and Alys are too bocchan and ojou-sama to survive on their own HAHA.

So I just had to bring them together you know, with their hair, they can easily pass off as siblings… I guess? :p

You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to see then! (:

**Yours Sincerely, '-**


	4. The Beginning of a New Life

**-x- Double Contractor -x-**

**Chapter Four**

**The Beginning of a New Life.**

* * *

**His Lord and His Lady**

"Uhh… so… today's schedule is… breakfast, then your literature lessons… then… what was it again?" The disorientated man scratched his head nervously, and smiled sheepishly at the young lady and the young man.

Alysteia and Ciel felt like slapping themselves. _What kind of a substitute butler did they hire?_

"No, it's okay… You are dismissed." Alysteia sighed.

"Forever." Ciel nodded in agreement.

The substitute butler nodded and scrambled out of the Phantomhive mansion, afraid that the two prodigies would do something unthinkable to him since he had failed their expectations.

It had been two weeks since Sebastian had mysteriously disappeared. Two weeks, and they had already dismissed about twenty different butlers. They had hired a new chef though, it was 'not because Bard cannot cook, oh definitely not, but it was just because they thought it would be convenient to ease his job", as quoted from the two 'siblings'.

They had established that Alysteia would be announced as Ciel's long-distance relative which he had never knew about, and therefore entered the Phantomhive family as his new younger sister. After all, it would be inappropriate for a young lady to be living in a young man's house, wouldn't it?

"My honest opinion is that there is no point in continuing this, Lord Ciel." Alysteia said, deep in thought.

"We'd just have to do without a butler, then."

Alysteia took out her intricately designed notebook, and jotted something down swiftly, showing it to Ciel.

_10:00 – Breakfast_

_11.30 – Literature lesson_

_12.30 – Violin/Piano lesson_

_1.30 – Lunch_

_2.30 – Respective appointments for the two companies_

_5.30 – Meet up at the Phantomhive mansion_

_6.30 – Proceed to the Marilyn household for an annual celebration party_

_11.00 – Arrive home, prepare for sleep_

_12.00 – End of day_

Ciel raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Alysteia.

"To be honest, I have always organized my own schedule rather than have Sebastian do it for me. It allows me to be able to remember it better." She smiled softly.

"That'll save us some trouble. Oh and, one more thing – I was thinking that you could probably address me by my name. It would sound more convincing, am I right?"

"But- Yes, you're right. Then you may address me as Alysteia too." She paused for awhile, then added, "Then again, 'Alys' would do too."

"Breakfast's ready!" Maylene's shrill voice echoed throughout the hall.

"Well then, I suppose we should get going, Alys." Ciel smirked as a faint blush crept up onto her face.

* * *

"Then, I'll see you at five thirty sharp. Goodbye, onii-sama." She waved as she got up onto the carriage. She had settled for that title, although Ciel would have preferred otherwise.

"Mm hmm, goodbye, Aly—"

"Ouch." Alysteia rubbed her ankle. She had tripped over the carriage step – again. Ciel found it amusing that a lady of such caliber would actually be so clumsy. _Adorable, perhaps?_ But he pushed the thought away and walked back into the house and waited for his client to arrive.

* * *

**His Lady**

"Good afternoon, Misaki-san." Alysteia greeted her secretary with everlasting gracefulness.

"Good afternoon, Alys-sama. Eh, isn't Sebastian-san here with you today? That's rare." The blonde asked.

"Due to some reasons, he's unable to be with us today. Anyway, more importantly, is Mrs. Blackstone here? She has made an appointment with me to discuss about designing a wedding dress for her daughter's coming wedding."

"Yes, she is already in conference room III."

"Then we should hurry."

* * *

**His Lord**

"Ah, welcome to the Phantomhive mansion, Lisa-san." Ciel greeted his client as he took a sip of English tea – it wasn't as good as the tea that Sebastian usually made, but it would have to do.

"Ah, Ciel-bo, I've already told you millions of times to stop addressing me so formally, haven't I? We've already known each other for five years, I think that's long enough for you to just address me by my name." Lisa sighed in exasperation.

"I don't go by that policy, Lisa-san. And I too have told you to address me properly. I only address the people closest to me by their name."

"Cold as ever, Ciel-bo." She smiled.

* * *

**His Lord and His Lady**

"I'm home, sorry for being late." Alysteia said, flustered, as she hurried to her room to get ready for the party.

"Ah! Hold on, onii-sama!" She exclaimed again, before Ciel could even utter a word.

"Here. It's a Limited Edition design that hasn't even been put on sale yet, and I thought it'd fit you, so I decided to make one for you. I hope you like it." She nodded quickly, placed the clothes quickly in his hands and dashed off again.

Ciel unfolded the clothes and his eyes widened.

"What is this?!"

"Onii-sama, you didn't know that this was a costume party?" Alysteia was laughing so hard she had to gasp for breath.

"No, you didn't tell me anything!" Ciel said, annoyed, dropping his usual cool façade.

There they were, standing outside the Phantomhive mansion as characters from the famous children's story "Alice in Wonderland".

Alysteia was dressed up as, of course, the main character, Alice. The clothes that she designed incorporated the theme of the story, but at the same time, added a tinge of modernity and professionalism. Her dress was mostly based on the colours red and white, it was laced with pretty, tiny poker card-designs throughout. It reached to about knee length, and at the end, silver ribbons were carefully sewn onto the frills. Instead of the usual stockings that ladies from noble families preferred to wear, she had black, silk ribbons wrapping all the way from the knees to her feet, complimenting the red high-heels that she wore. Her hair was completely let down, with a miniature black Lolita hat and a long ribbon covering her marked eye.

Ciel, however, was dressed up as the rabbit. Yes, _the _rabbit. Contrary to your idea of an average rabbit, he looked more silent, cool than cute. His suit was black and blue, complimenting his hair colour and his eyes. The suit was frilly with a pocket watch and a black rose adorning the breast pocket. The shirt inside was silk blue, with fashionably designed buttons with carvings of wings. Black boots with feathered wings covered up to his knees, black stockings accompanying it. His hair accessory, however, was the most prominent part of the entire outfit that suggested he was dressing up as the rabbit. To his horror, it was a pair of sleek, black bunny ears, attached to a blue ribbon tied over his marked eye.

"Even so, why the rabbit?"

"I think it fits you, you think so too, don't you?" Alysteia looked over at Bard, Finny and Maylene who were obviously trying to suppress their laughter.

"Yes, of course." A half-giggle came as a reply.

"See? Don't worry, they'll love your costume, onii-sama, moreover it was designed by the owner of Kiseki." Alysteia laughed.

"Fine." Ciel mumbled as they got into their carriage.

* * *

Alysteia looked at Ciel, because it looked as if he was making some silent prayer before entering the banquet hall. She wanted to laugh again, but composed herself. _Remember to be professional,_ she reminded herself.

"The Phantomhive siblings are here!" Word quickly spread around. There was a wave of turning heads, all staring at them.

"The Earl is so cute!" whispers were overheard. Alysteia tugged on Ciel's jacket and tip-toed, whispering into his ear, "I told you so."

They walked around and mixed with the crowd, making small talks, most of which were about the miraculous discovery of them being distant relatives. They plastered on their best, convincing smile and kept up the lie as it went. They were both prepared for this – lies were inevitable as long as you were in upper society. Everyone had their own secrets. Everyone could be hiding some hidden motive.

"Testing, one two three." A voice was broadcasted, echoing in the banquet hall. "And now, to start off the party, we will begin with a classic game – the Blindfold Game!"

The crowd clapped enthusiastically and Alysteia shot a questioning look at Ciel – she had never played this game before.

"It's another stupid game that these nobles have made up – someone in the crowd will be picked to be blindfolded, and that person will have ten minutes to wander somewhere and hide, then the crowd will start to search for that person, when he or she is found, that person will get a prize. Some choose not to participate and watch, though there are many who actually enjoy this game. As long as you're not the person who gets picked, everything should be fin—"

The blinding spotlight landed on a bewildered Alysteia.

"This pretty lady shall be the target for today!"

A horrified look was worn on Alysteia's face. _Oh great._

**-End of Chapter Four**

* * *

**Definitions**

onii-sama: older brother (in a respectful way)

'-bo': when added behind a name, it's like calling someone kid in an informal manner, which means that you're close with this person, and you're older than him/her.

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Hello! :D

Sorry for the late update, it's the exam period now x_x. But anyway, this chapter gives you a snippet of their daily life together heehee. And also I ended it with a terrifying cliffie monster. :P

Reviews would be greatly appreciated! (:

**Yours Sincerely, Mindy_Mesmerized_**


	5. The Blindfold Game

**-x- Double Contractor -x-**

**Chapter Five**

**The Blindfold Game**

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**His Lord and His Lady**

Alysteia looked at Ciel with a pleading expression as she was literally dragged and pushed forward onto the stage by the crowd. Her heart was palpitating and fear sipped into every breath she took – she didn't want to be the target of the crowd full of _'well-respected'_ nobles that seemed just too eager to grab her once they had found her. _She wasn't a product!_

"Now, do you want to give a short introduction about yourself, beautiful young lady?" The emcee seemed overenthusiastic as praises glided across this tongue.

"Alysteia… Phantomhive." She said as confidently as she could, plastering a realistic-looking smile onto her face as her figure trembled, "Fourteen this year… and the founder of Kiseki. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

"Well then, Alysteia ojou-san, have fun during the game. You will have ten minutes to find somewhere to hide yourself, and then wait for someone to find you. If in thirty minutes time you are not found, then there shall be no winner and you will receive the prize seeing that you were able to hide yourself so well as to not allow any of the nobles here to find you. _Good luck, and may the fastest, cleverest noble win._" Alysteia could've sworn that there was a hint of menace behind the last sentence whispered by the emcee. She gulped, feeling a silk, black-coloured blindfold being tied around her eyes. "Your ten minutes start now."

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**His Lord**

Ciel clenched his teeth as he watched Alysteia being forced up to stage. The faint quiver of her hands and the way she bit her bottom lip a little harder than usual showed just how scared she was – he was slightly surprised at himself for knowing so much about Alysteia's little habits in two weeks. But then again, he was _living _with her, as her _twin_ _brother_, which gave him all the more reason to have the responsibility to see through her subtle expressions and actions.

He watched again as she scampered away, and the emcee continued blabbering about the rest of the rules of the game even though most of the nobles there had already played this _game_ tens of times. "Now then, I would like the participants to stand on my left, and the bystanders to stand on my right."

Ciel's gaze hardened as he briefly ran through the two choices in his head, trying to pick between one.

But he couldn't deny that tugging feeling in his heart that showed… what? Concern? No, that couldn't be. It was just pity – it had to be sympathy, of course. He had never been the one to have emotions such as concern and love. Those were just unrealistic things that didn't exist, they were just labeled by humans as 'feelings'. He failed to understand the purpose of these feelings, so he couldn't be experiencing them now, could he?

He stepped to the left.

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**His Lady**

Alysteia frantically darted her hands out to feel for the surrounding walls, desperately trying to find a flight of stairs. She highly doubted she could even make it to the upper floors, much less find a place to hide herself in. Quickly, quickly, she rushed herself as her hands finally caught hold of what felt like the railings you would find at a flight of stairs. Lifting a foot, she tested to see if there were really steps. The foot landed sturdily over a higher platform. She had it.

"Eight minutes left. And my, my, what a rare sight! Ciel Phantomhive has seemed to decide to participate in this round too, breaking his usual routine of completely sitting out regardless of the game played. For his sister, perhaps? Ahh~ how family love can change a man."

Alysteia felt slightly less apprehensive at the thought of Ciel being in the game too. At least there was a small chance that he would find her and save her from this horrible situation – even though there were about six hundred people in the hall. She silently prayed that both of them would get lucky.

Upon reaching the fourth floor and hearing the emcee say once again in his hyper voice, "three minutes left", she dashed through the corridors, her hands brushing against the walls to feel for a door that was further away from the stairs, hopefully making it harder for anyone to find her. She turned the knob and slid in quickly, feeling around for a large, solid piece of furniture, or anything that she could be blocked by. Her sensitive skin moved over something which felt like an intricately-designed closet. She opened it, and hid among a flurry of clothes.

"Fifteen seconds left… Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…"

"One."

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**His Lord**

Ciel started walking briskly the moment the word "one" was uttered, trying to make his way through the jostling crowd. "Bastards." He muttered under his breath as he looked at the participants of the game, who were mostly male, seeing that Alysteia was chosen as the target. He paused to ponder over where she would hide – she was a relatively clumsy person once she was out of public sight, which meant that she couldn't go anywhere too far. She had a really simplistic way of thinking when it came to daily habits (that was completely irrelevant when she was designing clothes though – her seriousness and meticulousness was so extreme that sometimes she had even forgotten about her daily necessities), so she must've thought that the higher and the further, the safest the place would be. He then noticed that he was already lagging behind most of the crowd – which was a really bad situation considering how many people were actually participating.

And it was only then that he broke out into a sprint.

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**His Lady**

She could hear the rumble and quaver of the ground below her. She was slightly grateful that no one had reached the fourth floor yet – but silently anticipating Ciel's arrival.

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**His Lord**

Reaching the first floor, he ran towards the end of the corridor and entered the room there. Switching on the lights and glancing around the room, he spotted a closet in the darkest corner of the room. _Too obvious_, he thought as he opened the door, only to see Alysteia with her eyes closed, afraid of seeing someone else in front of her.

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**His Lord and His Lady**

"Alysteia Phantomhive, you are way too obvious." He said as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the closet. Her eyes flittering opened, she looked at him with a blur vision but still smiled, clearly thankful for the fact that it did turn out to be Ciel who had found her. Without another word, he didn't give her any time to take a breather as he tightened his grasp around her hand and walked out of the room, down the stairs and back into the hall, where several participants were already looking at Ciel with an inferior expression worn on their faces. Ciel resisted the temptation to smirk, but the corners of his lips turned upwards.

"Well, it seems as if we have a winner. And who would've thought that It would be no one else but her very own twin brother, Ciel Phantomhive." The emcee said, careful to be loud enough to alert any other participant who was still unaware of the results and blindly searching for the girl. A heavy-looking, leather-skinned case was passed to Ciel Phantomhive as he took it nonchalantly. Alysteia could already guess what it was through its exterior. A case full of cash. _How classic._

Ciel had the 'honour' of taking off the blindfold from Alysteia and escorting her down the stage. Fazed by her earlier experience, nothing registered in her mind as the emcee continued ranting on something incomprehensible – not that she had to care about it, though.

"You should be thankful that I saved you."

"I am, thank you, onii-sama." She replied as she supported her spinning head with one hand and leaned against the wall. "I don't think I ever want to go for mass parties again." She whispered softly enough for only Ciel to hear, which only caused Ciel to chuckle. "Unfortunately for you, there will be more of these sort of parties. Much more. And you would have to learn how to deal with them or else your life in the business world will be harsh and tiring. Being a Phantomhive, you already have many benefits and allowances given to you. Most of those nobles out there know that they would have to face the consequences if they had ever displeased the Phantomhive family, because Sebastian would definitely have his own plans up his sleeves."

"But there's no point talking about that now since he's gone." Alysteia added again, her voice now containing a tinge of sadness.

Ciel, however, looked mostly unfazed, but he didn't speak a word to break the silence at all.

Because it was a knowing silence that grew between them.

A knowing silence that contained the confusion and emptiness over the loss of their butler and their demon, Sebastian Michaelis.

**-End of Chapter Five.**

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Hi again, here for another update after quite a long time. My holidays are going to end soon, which is really sad because that means I won't be able to use the computer again so often, which would then result in a lack of fanfiction updates, blogskin submissions, blogposts and other stuff. Moreover, the exams start once the holidays end! D: *horrified*

Oh well, that's life, and it seems like we got to live with it anyway.

This chapter's a relatively short one due to time constrains and lack of inspiration, but I thank you all very much for your heartwarming reviews. I was partially discouraged by a review from someone, but after reading the rest of your reviews, I decided to keep writing for you guys (:

Thank you very much, and continue to read and enjoy my fanfiction. Remember to review! :D


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